1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in bag valve mask resuscitators. Specifically, the present invention relates to internal and external stabilizer arms for bag valve mask resuscitators.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bag valve mask (hereinafter BVM) resuscitators are commonly used in emergency care and critical care situations. When used in the field, BVM resuscitators deliver air under positive pressure to a patient not then capable of breathing independently. The BVM resuscitator commonly known in the art is a manually-operable, deformably-resilient, football-shaped bag formed from a ribbed, flexible thermoplastic which includes an air intake valve at one end and a breathing/exhaust valve at the other end to which a mask to cover the nose and face is affixed or operably connected.
Present BVM resuscitators have design deficiencies which create challenges for the user. One such deficiency is the “softness” or collapsibility of the reservoir bag that is squeezed to create pressure and ventilate the patient. Present BVM resuscitators have reservoir bags constructed most commonly from silicone or the like, that collapse or fold and do not tolerate downward pressure from the hand operating the bag, thereby limiting the user to establishing and maintaining the mask-to-face seal with a single hand placed around the mask and face of the patient.
Moreover, this circumferential seal must be made between the non-breathing patient's facial skin and the mask of the BVM resuscitator while simultaneously maintaining an open airway by keeping the patient's head in a constantly tilted position, all with a single hand. Thus, this collapsibility or folding of the reservoir bag, coupled with a problematic seal of the mask around the mouth and nose, frequently causes difficulty or outright inability to achieve a consistently tight seal for a single user. The absence of a tight seal permits the pressurized air to follow the path of least resistance, leaking out of the mask, thereby resulting in insufficient ventilation of the patient.
A tight seal around the mask is much more easily attained, of course, when both hands are used to create pressure on opposite sides of the mask. Pressure exerted on the mask with both hands can more easily be controlled and adjusted to compensate for anatomical differences and any other reasons for poor seal. However, the use of two hands by the provider to apply pressure on the mask portion of the BVM resuscitator means that a second provider has to squeeze the bag in order for the unit to work. This unnecessarily consumes valuable manpower that could be utilized to perform other potentially lifesaving measures.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved BVM resuscitator which would allow the user's “bagging hand” to apply downward force while simultaneously squeezing the reservoir bag, effectively allowing both hands to make the seal. The bagging hand would be allowed to fully squeeze the reservoir bag as normal. Such a device would successfully allow a single provider to use both hands to create the necessary mask-to-face seal while simultaneously squeezing the bag to create and maintain the necessary seal to more effectively ventilate the non-breathing patient.